Improvement in wardrobe-bedsteads



lsteads, ot which the following is a specificathe base A', of which f isthe front.

HENRY S. HALE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN WARDROBE-BEDSTEADS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 210,777, dated DecemberlO, 1878 application tiled September 3, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY S. HALE, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Cabinet-Bedtion:

My invention consists of certain improvements in that class oi'bedsteads which can be converted into a representation of a wardrobe,cabinet, book-case, Sto., the said improvements being too fullydescribed hereinafter to need preliminary explanation.

In the accompanying drawing, Figurel isa vertical section. of thefolding bedstead as it appears when the movable frame is turned up, thesaid frame when turned down beingshown by dotted lines; Fig. 2, anenlarged view of part of Fig. l Ilig. 3, a perspective view, drawn to areduced scale, and showing the manner of combining a desk with thebedstead; Fig. el, a plan view of the lower portion of the permanentframe; Fig. 5, a detail view of part of one ofthe grooved segments forcounter-balance weights, with the detachable pillow-board; Fig. 6,partof the bed-bottom and mode oi' securin g the same; Fig` 7, a viewshowing the manner of securing the mattress; Fig. 8, thesupporting-frame for the outer end of the movable frame, with thedetachable portion of the tail-board; and Fig. 9, a diagram illustratingthe operation of one feature of my invention.

A is the iixed and B the movable frame of the bedstead, the two beinghinged together by the pivot-shaft c. The iixed or permanent frameconsists of the two posts c c, the headboard b, which connects the twoposts together, and the side pieces d d, the lower portions of which arecontinued outward to form The movable frame consists of the bottomboard,h, the opposite side rails c', and the tail-board, which is made in twopartsnamely, the lower portion, m, secured to the ends of the siderails, and the detachable portion n, referred to hereinafter.

A frame, D, is hinged at :c to the tail-board, this frame having legs pp for supporting the outer end of the movable frame when the lat! terhas been turned down.

A longitudinal slot, q, is formed in the rear edge of the bottom-boardh, as best shown in Fig. 2, the pivot-shaft a, which is xed to thepermanent frame, passing through this slot, so as to permit the entiremovable frame to be elevated under the circumstances explainedhereinafter.

If desired, pivot-pins may be secured to the movable frame, and adaptedto vertical slots in the permanent frame, for the saine purpose ofpermitting the said movable frame to be elevated.

To the rear end otn each end railfi is pivoted a roller, j, theperipheries of the two rollers bearing on rails 7c in the interior ofthe base A of the permanent frame. Then the movable frame is turned upthese rollers will come in contact with the rails 7c, and as the upwardturning of the frame is continued it will be elevated. I generallyrestrict this arrangement to the largest and heaviest class of bedsteadsfor the following reasons: Then the movable frame is heavy it isimportant that the counter-balance weights should be .arranged as farfrom the-i'ulcrum or pivot shaft as possible; but if the movable framebe pivoted in the usual manner to the fixed frame', the distance of theweights from the pvot must be determined by the distance of the latterfrom the iloor, with which the weights must not come in contact.

The desired height of the movable frame (when turned down) from thefloor restricts the distance between the pivot and the weights 5 lout ifthe movable frame can be raised vertically as it is turned up, theweights can clear the floor; hence an advantageous length of leveragecan be obtained without making the arrangement of the movable frame(when the latter is turned down) at an unnecessary altitude from thedoor. This may be better explained in connection with the diagram Flo'.9, in which 2 represents the door, 3 the wall against which the bedsteadis placed, a being the pivot-shaft, h the bottom of the movable frame,placed at a convenient height above the floor, and h the weighted leverfor counterbalancing the frame. The longer this lever is the better 5hence itis made to extend nearly to the wall; but in turning up themovable frame the weight would strike the door unless the said frame,while being turned up, was

.to that of the other segment extends a board,

caused to rise by the contact of the rollers j with the rails 7c, asdescribed above.

In ordinary folding bedsteads it is usual to make the side rails of sucha depth that their upper edges are on a level, or thereabout, with thetop of the mattressa plan objectionable to those gettingin and out ofbed. To remedy this defect, I cut down or recess the side rails from thetop, so as to expose the edges of the mattress; and I make the sidepieces d of the frame of such a form that, when the movable frame hasbeen turned up, the portions of the said side rails which are recessedor cut away shall be'concealed by the said side pieces, as shown in theperspective view, Fig. 3. The counter-balance weights consist ofbars,the ends of which tit into grooved segments t, attached to the rear endsof the side rails of the movable frame.

It will be seen on referring tothe plan view, Fig. 4, of the lowerportion of the permanent frame, that each segment is made in two parts,connected together by and forming a part of a horizontal bar, t', someof the counterbalanc- .ing-bars y being consequently longer than theothers. By constructing the segments in this manner spaces g arepresented within the base of the permanent frame for receiving casterswith rollers of sufficient size to permit the structure to be move'dfrom place to place with ease, one of these casters being indicated bydotted lines in Fig. 4. y

From the upper edge of one segment t to H, `which serves as a backingfor the mattress tobear against, this rest being made detachable, so asto permit the introduction of the counterbalanGing-bars into and theirwithdrawal from the grooves ofthe segments.

Two or more springs, S, connect the rear end of the movable frame to across-bar on the permanent frame, as shown in Fig. 1, these springsbeing such that they will be stretched both vwhen the movable frame isturned down and when it is turned up; hence the springs must serve toprevent the too-sudden contact of the movable frame with the'oor when itis turned down and its too-sudden contact with .the permanent frame whenit is turned fup.

The bed-bottom consists of longitudinal slats I, secured to cross-railsJ, as shown in Fig. 6, and to the ends of these rails are securedslotted plates K, which fit under the heads of pins or screws L, securedto blocks on the inside of the rails z' of the movable frame, so thatwhen the latter is turned up the bed-bottom cannot be displaced.

In order to retain the mattress under like circumstances, loops N,secured to the outer end of the bed-bottom, are connected to buttons P,or other suitable fastenings, on the edge of the mattress, as shown inFig. 7.

Prior to turning up the movable frame, the detachable upper portion, n,of the tail-board should be removed and adjusted to the frame D, whenthe two combined will form an appropriate upper finish for the cabinet,which the bedstead represents when the movable frame has been turned up.(See Fig. 3.)

In order that the structure may represent a combined cabinet andwriting-desk, I make the desk R with ends and back arranged to fitsnugly to the permanent frame, the lower portion of which, when used inconnection with the desk, may be free from expensive ornamentation.

The desk itself maybe constructed `for writ? ing purposes. or itsinterior may be arranged asa wash-stand, as described in a separateapplication fora patent, or the desk may be so constructed that it canbe converted into a crib, as described in another application.

I do not desire to claim, broadly, the eleva tion of the movable framein the permanent frame, as said movable frame is turned up; but

I claim as my invention- .y c

l. In a folding bedstead, the permanent and movable frames, pivoted toeach other by means of a shaft or pins adapted to a slot or slots in oneor other of the frames, as described, in combinationwith rollers j,carried -by the movable frame, separate from the pivoting devices, andadapted to rails on the permanent frame, all substantially as set forth.

2. The combination ofthe grooved segments with a detachable board, H, asdescribed. Y In testimony whereof I have signed my name to thisspecication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY S. HALE. Witnesses:

HARRY A. CRAWFORD, HARRY SMITH.

